Breathtaking
by DawnRaindrop
Summary: Updated! Toph's stuck attending a stuffy gathering again. But there's always hope that a certain firebender would come to her rescue. Zuko/Toph Previously: Curing The Workaholic - Something's up with Zuko, and Toph's going to find out what.
1. Curing the Workaholic

**Toko Week 5 Prompts**

_A/N: Okay, I'm sorta participating in Toko Week, and I'm sorta _not_ participating in it. :/ I don't have entries for every prompt so... Yeah. (Sorry, drew a blank there.) But I do have two stories based on the prompts. So, I'll be compiling all of them on this particular fic(?), going by chapters and yep. They aren't necessarily connected in storyline or anything though. :/  
_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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**Prompt: **Trouble

**Curing the Workaholic**

"Come on. Tell me what's wrong," Toph urged, hopping onto his desk.

He scowled as some scrolls rolled off the desk as they made way for the earthbender. She started swinging her legs, knocking some of the dirt caked on her toes onto his once-pristine floor. He rubbed his temples slowly, picking up his brush to start from where he had left off.

It was going great, him ignoring Toph and all, until she kicked the desk and his handwriting turned into illegible scrawls.

"Toph, leave," He ordered in a low voice, gripping his brush so tightly he was sure it would snap into two.

She was off the desk now, but she did not budge. She had no intention of leaving. Toph folded her arms as if in an act of defiance.

"You're getting from bad to worse," She declared. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong," Zuko said. "Unless you consider someone barging into your office while you're doing work _wrong_."

She scowled but remained firmly planted to the ground. "I get it now. You're a workaholic."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"That means you're in deep trouble, Sparky. We need to get you cured right away," She said in a deadpan, grabbing his arm.

Zuko frowned. Leaving his work alone for a moment certainly sounded inviting but… "I don't need to be _cured_ of _anything_."

"As they say, the first stage of grief is denial. I'm going to help you jump all the way to acceptance!" Toph grinned as she hauled him out of the office.

"Grief? What grief?" He half-yelled, knowing it wouldn't get through her once she had her mind made up.

**xxx**

"… This is your cure, Doctor Beifong?" Zuko asked in a flat voice. "Sparring?"

"This is the best cure!" She announced somewhat proudly.

"Wrong," He said. "This is the _only_ cure you could think of."

Toph's response to that was a jab at the back, courtesy of her friendly earth column. Zuko groaned inwardly. Her supposed 'cure' was just an excuse to get him to spar with her.

**xxx**

Zuko hated to admit it but… Toph was quite right. He did feel better. He stared at the ground as he took time to catch his breath.

"I guess… This is what you do with the rest of the Gaang, huh?" Zuko asked.

Toph grinned, "Probably."

He arched an eyebrow in response, waiting for her to continue.

"You… If you were in trouble, I definitely have to help."

"Oh? Why?"

"I don't suppose you remember how we first met?"

"I uh… Burned your feet?" He said slightly uneasily.

She shook her head and rested her head against a tree. "The first gift is always the hardest to repay. Especially when that gift is the chance to live."

Zuko frowned, not comprehending it the least.

"I was a little girl still, around six or so. I had just learnt to earthbend. I left my house in secret to train again. That's when I fell into a lake." Toph shook her head, "I couldn't identify water bodies as readily as I can now."

"When I was ten… I had insisted that Uncle Iroh bring me along as he gathered intel on Earth Kingdom and Ba Sing Se…" He furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought.

"Someone saved me," Toph stated clearly. "I'm not too sure who he was, but the earth tells me that person was you."

"_T-Thank you…" The girl shuddered as I placed her on the ground._

_I nodded before shock registered in my head. I just saved an Earth Kingdom girl, an enemy. My eyes quickly darted around, hoping no one had seen my rescue. I glanced at the girl again, huddled together, trying to keep herself warm._

_I frowned. How could a girl like that be an enemy? Still…_

_I gathered a few dry twigs in the vicnity and hastily made a fire. The warmth scared her at first, but then she reached out for the flame in curiosity. I chided her, telling her not to touch the fire, or she'll get burnt. She nodded obediently._

_Seeing this, I felt somewhat assured._

"Get it now, Sparky?" Toph broke through his thoughts.

Zuko nodded. "Let's head back, Doctor Beifong. I'm 'cured' already. "

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_A/N: Heh. That's it. :) It's pretty short, I know. :( This just popped in my mind so I just wanted to write it out. Also, I'm a sucker for childhood friend backstory stuff. (What do you call it anyway...?) Please review! I'll appreciate it if you would! Thank you for reading! :D_


	2. Breathtaking

_A/N: Thank you for all your reviews and favorite(s) for the previous chapter! :D This is the next (and last) prompt that I did for Toko Week 5. :) Please enjoy!_  
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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**Prompt**: Payback

**Summary**: Toph's stuck attending a stuffy gathering again. But there's always hope that a certain firebender would come to her rescue.

**Breathtaking**

"Now, you're a Earth Kingdom noble, dear. Carry yourself well."

Toph scowled, before switching to a neutral expression when she heard her mother click her tongue. She let out an exasperated sigh. As usual, she could not come up with an appropriate excuse to be absent from one of these stuffy gatherings.

In fact, despite all the words that was flowing oh-so-fluently from the other nobles' mouths, all she could make out was "Oh, I'm trying to impress you with my high status and expansive influence."

The worst of all, Toph's trump card was missing. He had been missing in action for the entire month. Of course, like Katara had once reminded her, as the Fire Lord, Zuko could not be at her beck and call. But this time it really was bad. He would have visited her once every fortnight, or she would have visited Fire Nation. Either way, there had been no chance of them actually doing something fun like sparring.

So, today, Toph Beifong would have to fraternize with the snobs and have her mother set up blind dates for her. Today, she would not be able to escape with the excuse of the Fire Lord requiring her assistance. Today, she would be alone.

She scratched the metallic piece positioned on the bridge of her nose. She had to keep it on apparently. It was a mask that covered half of her face. A masquerade, this ball was called. Attendees of the ball each had to put on a mask to avoid being recognized. _Some masquerade_, Toph thought, _I can recognize each person distinctly if I wanted to._

"Good evening," A person greeted her.

"Likewise," She replied, not bothering to remain polite.

"You look simply breathtaking," The man was obviously unfazed.

"And you look…" Toph waited as the Earth feedbacked to her. "Relatively healthy. Although I would say snacking on too many sweets isn't exactly the wisest choice."

The man stopped in his tracks completely. Toph chewed her lips to keep herself from laughing. Before she turned to leave, she regarded him again. "Oh and I wouldn't really care about my looks. I'm blind."

She scanned the area to find that her parents were over at the other end of the hall. Taking the chance, Toph slipped away out of the hall.

She took a deep breath as she welcomed the fresh air.

_Who needs Zuko when I could do it myself?_ She smirked as she gathered the hem of her skirt to a side and tied it so she had freedom of movement.

She climbed onto the stone walls that lined the area. _All right! Get ready for rock and roll!_

She hopped off the stone walls and summoned a mound of earth before running down the hill, feeling the breeze against her face. _Ah… This is the life!_

And in the midst of her enjoyment, she tripped over a piece of wood. She landed headfirst in a pool of mud.

_When was it when it last rained?_ She scowled as she picked herself up.

The feeling of her clothes plastering themselves to her skin felt horrible. She pulled a wisp of mud-soaked hair away from her face as she trudged onwards, the exhilaration she felt earlier gone altogether.

"Earlier on, I would've disagreed with the Earth Kingdom noble," A familiar voice drawled. "But I take it back, you are simply breathtaking _now_."

"Shut up, Sparky," She snarled, half resisting the urge to earthbend him back to Fire Nation. "Where have you been for the last month?"

"I don't have to report to you," He said, a grin evident in his voice.

"Oh yeah?" She asked as she made the ground rumble.

"You're acting like a clingy girlfriend."

"I am not!" She summoned a column of earth to pummel him.

He leapt out of her detection as he dodged it, countering it with his own attack. She blocked it with an earthen shield. She took a stance as she prepared herself for his next attack.

A rustle of leaves and Toph could hear him coming. Then, she had a brilliant idea. She knelt down quickly and readied her 'weapon'.

_A direct attack? Not what I'd call smart, Sparky._ She thought as she deflected it.

"HAH! Eat _that_, Sparky!" She yelled in a bout of euphoria, smashing his face into the mud.

Toph stopped immediately after she noticed something was amiss. Her victim wasn't even struggling.

"… Sparky?" She asked uncertainly.

"I'd rather not eat that," His voice came again. "So, what do you think of the dummy I brought along with me?"

Toph lifted the 'victim' and felt it. She flung it away, getting the tiniest bit of satisfaction from hearing it smack against a tree.

"Fine, you win," Toph conceded with a huff.

"Really?" Zuko asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah. Now pull me up."

She felt Zuko walk over to her. "Seeing that you're already 16, I would've thought you'd be less spoilt, Miss Beifong."

Ignoring that comment, she stretched out a hand for him to take. Feeling his callused grip, she smirked, tugging him down.

The splash and roar provided Toph with instant gratification.

"You did not just ruin my new robes," He said in a low growl.

"Oh, I'm not too sure," She grinned as she patted his head before getting up. "I think I see an improvement."

"In fact, my dear, I think you look absolutely _breathtaking_."

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_A/N: And that's all I have! Thank you for reading! :D Please review! I value reviews _a lot_. :]_


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